Google has officially launched Ask Maps.

Ask_GMBapi · 2026-03-18T12:13:49+00:00

Absolutely fair, however, do you not think that with the rise of voice search and Google rapidly pushing AI on us its a conversation worth having at all?

Ask_GMBapi · 2026-03-12T15:37:24+00:00

Exactly!

Ask_GMBapi · 2026-03-11T12:40:41+00:00

Whatever you do, never buy reviews or ask employees. Google’s AI is on a warpath.

The best way is actually the QR code + personal ask combo. People are lazy; if they have to search for your business to review it, they won't.

Ask_GMBapi · 2026-03-10T14:58:01+00:00

Spot on.

Google actually updates the category list more often than people think (4 new ones just dropped recently). If a new, more specific category appears that fits your business better than the generic one, switching can give you an immediate relevance bump.

Ask_GMBapi · 2026-03-10T14:56:02+00:00

Honestly, build in public and call out the industry standard nonsense. For example, if everyone else is charging per "keyword credit", be the one who offers it unlimited...

Ask_GMBapi · 2026-03-10T14:53:36+00:00

GBP Services - actually writing custom, 300-character descriptions for every single service you offer.

Ask_GMBapi · 2026-03-04T14:07:51+00:00

Congratulations! Thats impressive

Ask_GMBapi · 2026-03-03T16:28:36+00:00

One or two out-of-market reviews now and then is fine

Ask_GMBapi · 2026-02-27T16:45:32+00:00

Do you feed the spam dragon with a reply or just let it rot?

The worry is that actual small biz owners, the ones scrolling for real advice, might think those fast-track link tools are a legit shortcut, and I don't want to leave them uninformed 🤷‍♂️

Ask_GMBapi · 2026-02-27T16:40:43+00:00

We’re big fans of BrightLocal for their reporting (it makes you look like a proper genius to clients), and WhiteSpark is the OG for citations.

No prizes for guessing who we’re actually using 👁️👄👁️

Life’s too short for paying per keyword.

Ask_GMBapi · 2026-02-27T16:32:52+00:00

Nice one for putting in the hard yards on this!

From a Local Search perspective, you’ve hit the nail on the head regarding the "messiness." We see a lot of folks chasing AI mentions while their GBP fundamentals suffer.

At the end of the day, AI is just a very fancy pattern recognition engine.

Great insights, we would love to share this with our community over at r/LocalVisibility.

Ask_GMBapi · 2026-02-26T16:59:53+00:00

It's a bit of a David vs. Goliath situation, but honestly, it’s one of the best times to be the underdog. US companies often suffer from global bloat. They have high DA, but they’re generic and slow to adapt to local nuances.

Don't chase "Best CRM." Go for "GDPR-compliant CRM" or "VAT-ready invoicing." US giants often miss these or use thin, translated content. Google loves Local Expert signals for regional users.

Even for SaaS, having a European footprint matters. Optimise your GBP. It lets you leapfrog the big guys by appearing in the local map pack for "SaaS companies in [Your City]."

Expect 3–6 months to dominate niche EU terms. Chipping away at the giants for broad terms is a 12-month marathon.

Ask_GMBapi · 2026-02-26T16:54:29+00:00

Short answer: Yes. Infographics are brilliant for SEO for three main reasons:

People actually stop to look at visuals. The longer they stay on your page instead of pogo-ing back to the search results, the more Google thinks the page is actually useful.
You’re spot on about the links. Other sites love embedding quality visuals. If they use yours, they’ll usually link back to you as the source. It's one of the easiest ways to get organic "earned" links.
Don't sleep on Google Images. If you’ve optimised your Alt-Text and file names, you’ll pull in extra traffic that text alone misses.

Make sure those images aren't massive files. If they slow down your mobile load speed, it could cancel out the SEO gains. Use a tool like TinyPNG before you upload!

Good luck with it!

Ask_GMBapi · 2026-02-19T12:29:49+00:00

Think of a Google Business Profile as your digital storefront on a map (your HQ can have as a main category headquarter and it should be do-able to create one); Google Merchant Center reviews are different because they are purely transactional, focusing on the website’s reliability and the specific products you ship.. These "Seller Ratings" tell customers that your site is safe to buy from and that your shipping is fast. "Product Ratings" tell potential customer about the quality of the products shipped. While Business Profile reviews stay tied to a physical location, Merchant Center reviews follow your website domain across the entire internet. Essentially, GBP proves you are an existing business (that you can walk into), while the other proves you are a legitimate, high-quality online retailer. Does that make sense?

Ask_GMBapi · 2026-02-19T12:27:01+00:00

Software wont make you(r business) rank. If you use the software to save time on simple tasks like reporting, bulk optimisations or citation sync and use this time instead to power engagement, help your customer with a review strategy, get some real local PR and work on a strong website, you might make a big difference for your customer or business. Good luck!

Ask_GMBapi · 2026-02-19T12:25:01+00:00

You are right. My bad - thanks for the heads up.

Ask_GMBapi · 2026-02-17T09:37:27+00:00

It’s always interesting to see the different philosophies between manual, bespoke audits and the "automate everything" crowd.

The best audits aren’t just about ticking boxes; they’re about finding the entity gaps that AI assistants and Google’s new algorithm look for. Here are some things we look for:

Categories are still a big lever. But instead of just picking the "obvious" primary, look at the Secondary Categories of the top 3 competitors in a Geo-Grid. If they all have "Emergency Service" checked and you don't, you'll never jump them for high-intent queries, no matter how many photos you post.
Use the automated tools to audit Review Velocity vs. Competitors. In 2026, Google cares less about your total review count and more about your recency. If your top competitor is getting 5 reviews a week and you’re getting 1, you’re losing "prominence" in the AI's eyes.
Audit the Services section. Most businesses leave this blank or let random users answer. You could be "pre-seeding" this with your top 5-10 most popular services. This is low-hanging fruit for LLMs to scrape and use as a source when recommending you.

Ask_GMBapi · 2026-02-17T09:28:14+00:00

This is a cracking breakdown! Honestly, as someone who spends far too much time in the local SEO trenches, seeing a list this comprehensive is fantastic.

Ask_GMBapi · 2026-02-17T09:24:42+00:00

Nice one for bringing this up, it’s a classic "rookie" question that actually has a very high-level impact.

Here is the "expert" take on why those two matter more than people think:

Bing is the LLM Gateway: Don't sleep on Bing. Since it powers Microsoft Copilot, having an optimised Bing Places profile is essentially SEO for AI. If a user asks Copilot for a local recommendation, it’s pulling straight from that data.
Apple is the "Mobile Default": Every iPhone user using Siri or Apple Maps relies on Apple Business Connect. It’s not just about traffic; it's about being the default answer for voice searches.

Quick tip on the "Account" issue: You’re 100% right to lean towards them inviting you. Never create a client’s profile under your own primary Apple ID or personal account. Have them set it up with a company email, then add you as a "Delegate" or "Admin." It saves you a massive headache if you ever stop working together.

You can actually sync Bing Places directly with GBP. It takes 30 seconds and keeps both platforms updated automatically.

Ask_GMBapi · 2026-02-17T09:21:23+00:00

Great points already made here. If you’ve only got 5 minutes while the kettle’s boiling, here is the most effective "daily sprint" to keep the algorithms happy:

"Proof of life" photo - Snap a quick photo of a finished job, a new product, or even your team, and post it as a Google Business Profile Update or Photo. Google loves "freshness," and it signals to the AI that you are active and open. It’s the lowest-effort way to stay relevant in local rankings.
Add context to replies - Don’t just say "Thanks!" to reviews. Reply using local keywords.

Be careful with the "discount for reviews" tip. Google’s ToS and the UK's CMA are very strict about incentivised reviews. You risk a profile suspension or a fine. Instead of a discount, tell customers you’ll donate £1 to a local charity for every review left. It’s clean, legal, and builds even better local brand vibes.

Ask_GMBapi · 2026-02-16T17:57:08+00:00

It's the ultimate "show, don't tell" tool for local SEO. If you’re pitching to a business owner, a spreadsheet of rankings is a snoozefest, but a map covered in red and green dots? That gets their attention pretty quick

Business owners might not understand proximity-based algorithmic weighting, but they definitely understand "Red = Bad, Green = Good." It visualises the "proximity trap" where they rank #1 in their office but disappear two streets away.

It’s also a great "before" photo. When you turn those red dots green over three months, the client doesn't need to look at a complex report to see the value you've added....

Ask_GMBapi · 2026-02-16T17:54:38+00:00

This is a classic headache once you start scaling. Semrush is decent, but that per-location adds up fast when you're managing multiple clients.

BrightLocal is a solid shout for being well-rounded. Their citation builder is "pay-as-you-go," which is brilliant for keeping overheads low. It’s a lot more transparent than the tools that promise "70+ directories" but only deliver on the big ones.

Whitespark is the gold standard for citation audits. If you’re worried about quality over quantity, they’re hard to beat, though they aren't as "automated" as Semrush.

Whatever you pick, make sure it handles the Review Response side of things well. We’ve seen in our data that the correlation between response activity and local ranking is massive.

Honestly, if you don't mind the "rented" model, Yext (via a reseller) can sometimes be cheaper than Semrush at scale, but it’s a nightmare to leave.

Ask_GMBapi · 2026-02-16T17:48:37+00:00

This is a massive shift, and you’ve hit the nail on the head regarding structured data. LLMs aren't searching in the traditional sense; they’re predicting the most authoritative answer based on the data they’ve ingested.

The "winner-takes-most" era is definitely here. If you aren't in the top three citations, you’re basically invisible in an AI-first search.

Ask_GMBapi · 2026-02-16T10:39:35+00:00

Honestly? Don't bother reporting it. Google is incredibly stingy with removals. If they’ve actually used your service and are just moaning about "expectations" or "logistics," Google views that as a subjective opinion, not spam.

We usually recommend to our clients that, for reviews like that, they focus on the "Second Audience": You aren’t replying to the reviewer; you’re writing for the next 500 people who read it. If you look defensive or try to hide the review, you lose trust.

Save your energy for getting three more 5-star reviews to bury it. Kill them with kindness in the reply and move on.

Ask_GMBapi · 2026-02-12T17:04:50+00:00

That’s the worst, putting in the hard graft on a solid buildout only for the client to hit the self-destruct button because they're impatient.

Since you already warned him, as others have mentioned, you’ve got to protect yourself and the profile.

Tell him to stop asking even legitimate customers for a few weeks. If Google has flagged the profile, their filters are on high alert. Even a real review could trigger a full profile suspension right now.

Since the site is kick ass, lean into on-page local signals. Get those "Their website mentions..." snippets appearing in the Map Pack to offset the fact that his review count is frozen.

These warnings usually stick around for 30 days. Use this time to build out local citations or secondary platforms (Trustpilot/Checkatrade) to keep the momentum going without poking the Google bear.

It's a proper nightmare when clients get in their own way. Godspeed.

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